chapter 7 Blood siphon method===

Silvianus Xu shook his head with a sigh, having no hope for Verdantius Liu. Others sneered even more. A large batch of medicinal materials and a pill furnace were delivered by the Pill Treasure cockloft, showing their thoughtfulness and thorough consideration. Closing the courtyard gate, which was usually quiet with few visitors, Verdantius Liu spread all the medicinal materials in the yard. Inside the yard, there was a well from which some clear water was drawn, and a large tub was brought over. Without alchemical fire, he could only find some dry wood, ignite it, place the pill furnace on top, and toss the medicinal materials in. The quenching fluid couldn't even be considered a first-grade pill; however, using it to soak the body produced unexpected effects, especially suitable for strengthening the muscles and bones. Being somewhat unfamiliar during the first attempt, his techniques suddenly accelerated after becoming accustomed. A rich medicinal fragrance permeated the air above the yard. After spending nearly half a day, he successfully concocted a tub of quenching fluid. Pouring one-third of it into the tub, he undressed, leaving only a pair of underwear, and immersed himself in the tub. The piercing pain penetrated through his pores, cleaning the impurities within his muscles and veins. The God Swallow formula of Tai Huang started running, creating a vortex of spiritual energy above the yard, spiraling above Verdantius Liu's head. The God Swallow tripod greedily absorbed the spiritual energy, forming a liquid that could help him rapidly advance in cultivation, facilitating an early breakthrough to the Innate Realm. A tingling sensation traveled along his muscles and veins, expelling the impurities. The clear water in the wooden tub gradually turned deep brown and continued to change. A foul smell emanated from the tub. After cultivating for an hour, he stood up. Every inch of his bones echoed, and his whole body felt comfortable, as if he had given the internal part of his body a thorough bath. "Satisfying!" Standing in the center of the yard, he performed a set of martial arts, adjusting to the changes in his physical body. Taking a towel, he wiped away the sweat from his forehead, crossed his legs, and sat down. Numerous martial arts manuals appeared in his mind. "The technique is resolved. Next, I should cultivate martial skills. In my past life, I always used a knife, and in this life, I'll continue down the path of knives." Searching through countless martial skills, the difficulty was immense. It not only had to suit him but also be suitable for this world and his current realm. Martial skills of too high a level couldn't be activated with true energy and would harm his body. "I choose you, Blood siphon method!" The knife qi was like a rainbow, unstoppable. This was the essence of the Blood siphon method. A total of seven styles, each move connecting seamlessly, every strike lethal. The fastest offense was the best defense, and the Blood siphon method excelled in both offense and defense, ensuring a kill with every strike. Taking out a long knife from the house, which was not very handy, he made do for now. After tomorrow, he would go to the family's weapon workshop to find a suitable weapon. Grip the knife! Draw the knife! Grip the knife! Draw the knife! Verdantius Liu continuously repeated the same motion, untiringly. Sweat had soaked through his clothes, and unknowingly, the sun had set. He had been practicing the same knife movements for most of the day. In front of him was a wooden stake with a mark in the middle. At the beginning, the knife's landing point was far from the target. As time passed, after three consecutive strikes, one of the strikes hit the target. His accuracy was continually improving. Cultivating the Blood siphon method demanded extremely strict precision in knife skills. Each strike had to be fatal. A grumbling sound came from his stomach. It was already hungry, and only now did he remember that he hadn't eaten anything since noon. The intense hunger made him give up on continuing cultivation. After a simple cleanup, he left the house and headed towards the Xu family's dining hall. Normally, Verdantius Liu didn't like to dine with his father-in-law and mother-in-law, as each time, he would be scolded by them. It was the peak dining period. With thousands of people in the Xu family gathered, it was quite spectacular, with several levels divided among them. The head-level leaders sat in a separate area, relatively quiet. The servants were assigned to the entrance, creating a noisy atmosphere. Verdantius Liu's dining place was in a corner, where a small private room had been set up specifically for him. His appearance brought sudden silence to the normally noisy dining hall. Everyone lowered their heads to eat, some casting mocking glances. Ignoring the gazes around him, Verdantius Liu walked straight into the private room. Usually, the meal would be arranged in advance, but today, not only were there no dishes on the table, even the table and chairs he usually used were gone. "This waste still has the nerve to come and eat. If it were me, I would have found a piece of tofu to smash myself to death." There were whispers in the crowd, not very loud, but enough for Verdantius Liu to hear. "Who moved my table and chairs?" Verdantius Liu's face darkened, his gaze sweeping around the room, finally landing on the face of the steward in charge of the dining hall. This area was under his responsibility, and he must know where the table and chairs went. The dining hall steward was around forty years old and had been with the Xu family for more than twenty years. People usually called him Viridius Tie. He had a fierce look, and he disliked this son-in-law, but because of his identity, he had to step forward. "Recently, there weren't enough tables and chairs in the dining hall, so we had to use yours first." Viridius Tie replied without much politeness, causing laughter around. "Not enough?!" A coldness flashed at the corner of Verdantius Liu's mouth. The Xu family's dining hall was spacious enough, and there were many unused tables and chairs around. It seemed like they deliberately chose to use his belongings, not putting him, this son-in-law, in their eyes. "You're right; there aren't enough," Viridius Tie said coldly. Recalling many scenes of being bullied by him through his memories, one time he came for a meal, Viridius Tie even placed leftover food with a sour smell on his table. This kind of thing happened more than once. Several times when he protested, he was beaten up. "Tell me, who instructed you to do this?" A hint of cold killing intent burst out from Verdantius Liu's eyes, making Viridius Tie stumble, scared by the gaze. "You waste time eating; it's a waste of food. I just don't like the sight of you. I chopped up all your tables and chairs and used them as firewood. What can you do to me?" Viridius Tie gave a cold laugh after saying this. From Verdantius Liu's memories, he found many scenes of being bullied. Once, Viridius Tie put leftovers on his table, and several times, he was beaten up when he protested. "Bang!" Suddenly, without any warning, Verdantius Liu kicked Viridius Tie in the stomach. The latter flew backward, spitting out blood, crashing into the crowd, crushing a large number of tables and chairs. "Waste, how dare you hit me." Viridius Tie stood up, not suffering much harm. A fierce light appeared in his eyes as he casually picked up a chair, approaching Verdantius Liu. The crowd automatically made way, creating a large open space. Nobody dared to intervene. "You dare to hit me, you waste." Brandishing the chair, Viridius Tie came closer to Verdantius Liu. Verdantius Liu was nourished by the quenching fluid and had increased his physical strength several times over. Although he hadn't broken through to the Innate Realm, it had only been a day or two since these events. In that time, he was on the verge of breaking through the fifth stage of acquired. Except for his father-in-law, there were not many people in the Xu family who deserved his respect. Over the years, he had been beaten by these people several times. Today, he would get back at all of them. Viridius Tie was not weak, at the Postnatal Fourth Stage with a body full of brute force. He picked up a chair, swung it towards Verdantius Liu, and roared, "I'll fight you to the death!" Viridius Tie had lost his rationality and approached Verdantius Liu with a kitchen knife in his hand, aiming at his face. The blade emitted a whistling sound, filled with anger. This was a blatant attempt to take revenge after being slapped by Verdantius Liu in public. "Seeking death!" Dodging the attack with the Seven Star Footwork, Verdantius Liu avoided a strike, then kicked fiercely. Viridius Tie, unsteady, fell, bumping into the doorstep, his face covered in blood. Verdantius Liu didn't intend to kill him, just to teach him a lesson. He had been bullied by these people so many times, and today, he wanted to take it back. Viridius Tie struggled to stand up, his face fierce. He picked up a well-sharpened kitchen knife placed outside the door and approached Verdantius Liu. "Viridius Tie, don't!" Someone stepped forward to stop him, realizing that if things escalated to the point of causing someone's death, everyone involved would be punished by the family head. "I'll fight you!" Viridius Tie had lost his reason, holding the kitchen knife and slashing toward Verdantius Liu's face. The blade whistled, showing that this attack carried deep anger. It seemed like a ferocious beast unleashed in public after being slapped by Verdantius Liu. "Seeking death!" Transforming into a shadow, Verdantius Liu appeared behind Viridius Tie. A palm imprinted on his back; this blow was fatal, containing the power of the Taihuang. "Stop!" At this moment, Silvianus Xu appeared. Someone had already run to notify him, and luckily, he arrived in time to prevent a tragedy.